Penalties for Kneeling Being Considered

But then the Veterans groups, and the fans - some of whom are red-blooded American Patriots, will claim the country is going to hell by way of the liberal NFL caving in. And they'll stop going to games.

This is a NO-win situation.

If I am an owner, I ask the NFL to either mandate the anthem be played before players take the field, OR the league act as the bad guy patsy and halt playing of the anthem prior to games, so teams can point to the league without pissing off and losing its fan base.

The NFL and team owners get what they deserve for taking Armed Forces money all these years for Patriotism. Shit is coming home to roost.

I swear this anthem debacle is the point at which the NFL loses favor with Americans.

I think the only way out of the over-Patriotism of America is require EVERYONE (16-35) to serve in the armed forces (like Israel). To paraphrase the villain in The Incredibles: When everyone is a veteran then no one is special.

 

Well, I certainly don't want the NFL shut down, mainly because I golf many Sundays because the course is empty. I don't want these hyenas putting down their Miller Lite and Buffalo Wild Wings and getting in my way.

My point was, if the NFL treated kneeling with the same passion they did concussions they would have ignored its existence until about 2034.

 

When the employee is working? Yes, I would think they can. I am at work right now and if I started each day by pontificating about some of the same gibberish that Kaepernick lamely tries to lasso, I would be shitcanned.

 

Presumably you aren't in a public place. You're more likely in a private space, owned by your employer.

 

Yes. This is not a First Amendment issue, regardless of how hard you try to contort it into one.

 

I work for a municipality. My office is literally in town hall. Doesn’t get more public than that.

 

This is a stupid idea. The only practical effects would be to 1. Keep an issue squarely in the public eye that the owners really want to go away. 2. Increase militancy in their tame union, the NFLPA, which the owners want even less.
It's all so inane. If the NFL ignored the protests, and let Kaepernick fulfill his destiny of being a middling backup QB, no one would care about them. But these are old white male billionaires who get half their jollies out of the NFL by the notion they control the lives of young strong black males.

 

I haven't mentioned the First Amendment.

There's a lot of interesting case law about speech in public and semi-public settings - like shopping malls and building setbacks that aren't quite public parks and town commons, etc.

 

Which is kind of insane when you think of it.

No one batted an eye over concussions. "fuck em! I want my football!"

No one cared about steroids. "Fuck em! I want my football!"

No one cared that many of these players turned out to be rapists, murderers and domestic abusers, "Fuck em! I want my football!"

No one cared about these owners bending over season ticket holders with Personal Seat Licenses and requiring them to buy shitty preseason games. "Fuck it! I want my football!"

No one cared about owners holding cities hostage for free stadiums which fans pay for through increased taxes. "Fuck em! I want my football!"

Hundred bucks at some stadiums to park your car. "Fuck it! I want my football!"

Players kneel for a song. "NOW JUST WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE!"

 

You'd have a really interesting case if your employer - presumably the local government - tried to muzzle your reasonable expression of free speech at work.

 

How much of it involves people who are working at the time?